‘It Wasn’t Easy to Leave Madrid’ Admits Danilo

Manchester City’s Danilo admits that it wasn’t an easy decision to leave Real Madrid to join the Premier League club this summer, but the Brazilian says a phonecall from City manager Pep Guardiola convinced him to join.

Danilo has enjoyed an excellent start to life in Manchester and the player told UOL Esporte that he deliberated carefully over the decision to come to England this summer, “It wasn’t an easy decision, I thought about it for a couple of months.

“I always made it clear that I would go out to a club that really wanted me and that manager and board were willing to bet on me. The project and facilities of Manchester City helped to convince me to come here, because it wasn’t easy to leave Real Madrid, especially in such a winning time for the club.

“The call from Guardiola was also very important to make me motivated and at ease at City. The quality of the squad also made quite a difference. They are experienced players. And the facilities of the club are phenomenal, one of the best, I can easily compare with Real Madrid’s.”

Danilo said Guardiola’s phone call put him at ease in the run up to the move, “He called me while I was in preseason with Real Madrid, and within two days the clubs got it right and everything happened the way I wanted it to be, I’d already told Zidane that if something interesting came up for me, I’d take it.

“He tried to hold me at Real until the last day, and he is a very important guy in my career, he gave me a lot of confidence and opportunity, but I’ve always been a Guardiola fan because of the way his teams play: possession football, with the team lines well advanced, with pressure on the opponent.”